Darkness Mass
by Little Wolf Vamp Hearts Yaoi
Summary: Someone is trying to raise the dead. They didn't know who or what he was but they all knew one thing. If they didn't stop him now, their worlds are left for dead. CloudxSquall later on. R&R plz. Chapter 5 is finally up and ready! hope you guys enjoy!
1. Stay in Light

**Darkness Mass  
>By: Little_Joy<br>Rated: R  
>Warnings: Violence and Blood<br>Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters from Final Fantasy VII - X, nor Kingdom Hearts.  
>Summary: All the worlds seem to be coming to an end again. There is a new evil villain that seems to be raising the bad from the dead. The worlds are starting to get disruptive and no one knows what to do.<strong>

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><p><strong>"Has no one told you she's not breathing?<br>Hello, I am your mind giving you someone to talk to  
>Hello-<br>-Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
>Hello I am the lie living for you so you can hide-<strong>

**-Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
>Hello, I'm still here<br>All that's left of yesterday"**

**Hello by Evanescence**

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><p>Both men grunted as their blades scraped together as they pushed one another. The blonde one sneered with a smirk on his face as he threw the young brunette off balance.<p>

"What? Getting tired already Squally boy?" The other grunted as he caught his footing. He was getting sick of Seifers taunts and games, knowing he had to deal with a much greater threat than his possessed ex- rival. The brunette growled as he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed back with as much force he could muster and prepared to use his Renzokuken technique.

"Enough!" He exclaimed as he started to activate his limit break. Before being able to start his move, both Seifer and Squall halted in the middle of their tracks as they heard a shrill cry drown out all noise. They gazed away from each other only to come in sight of a gruesome view. Both their chest tighten at the sight beholding them. Seifer had been deluded back to reality as he kept his gaze forward. He dropped his own Gunblade on the ground.

Squall seemed to have frozen in place, seeing that the image he was facing was real enough to be a nightmare. '_No… Rinoa'_ he thought as he shook his head slowly, dropping his Lionheart on the ground, he shook his head more ferociously.

"Rinoa" He said as if to confirm the image in front of him was only a nightmare. He cried out again, louder than before. "Rinoa!"

Right before him stood a bald man with a wicked glint in his golden eyes as he enjoyed seeing the tortured look on the young girl's face. The brunette girl that was inches away from him seemed to struggle breathing. He was grinning widely as he saw the other young man come to compromise that his arm was in fact thorough the young girls' stomach. He couldn't help but enjoy every tortured second that passed by as the girls warm liquid spilled right before him in a growing puddle of blood.

He decided that playtime was over and shoved his arm out of her reckless body and let it fall down on the ground limp. Squall once again shouted out for her as he ran towards her side. Everything seemed to play in slow motion as he reached towards her. Bending down to his knees he held her gently and carefully in his arms. Her eyes opened slowly, glazed by the numbing pain that pulsed through her chest making her stagger for breath. Squall then fumble with a pocket in search of his packed potion. He knew it was useless as he examined the huge gap in the middle of her stomach, but if by miracle she was still breathing than he might have a chance on saving her again.

Opening the cork, he pressed the cold glass on her parted lips, but she refused to drink it. His brow furrowed in frustration as she tried to push away the bottle in small attempts. He gave up for a second thinking of doing force on her. He then heard a low coughing sound. Turning back his attention toward her, her lips parted, slipping blood out. He wiped her lips with his sleeve as he tried to once again make her drink the potion. She pressed her lips together and turned slightly away.

Squall groaned in frustration. She took a shaky breath as she prepared to speak. Squall noticed her attempt so he hushed her as he held her closely. Rinoa stubbornly continued to speak.

"Squall...Cold" she let out.

"Don't talk. Save your breath Rinoa" He hushed her again as he started to take his fur jacket off. She shook her head again.

"Not ... Much... Time" She gasped, as once again blood trickled out of her lips. She reached up with enough little strength she had and grabbed her necklace; the ones with the special rings were hanging on, and placed it in Squalls free hand.

"Take care... of them." Squall knew the double meaning in her words as she placed the necklace in his open palm, but she was looking slightly away, towards her friends that seemed to stop battling some time ago. Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zone, Watts and even Seifer, Raiji, and Fuujin stopped to watch the horrid scene before them.

Squall tried in vain pouring potion on the wound, but the hole was too big. Rinoa turned her gaze back to Squall, seeing his big effort a she tried to save her.

"Squall" she whispered, getting back his attention. "Squall" she said again. He leaned closer to hear her speak, knowing she would be too stubborn to listen to him. Even in near death, she lived down her stubbornness.

"Squall... please... be careful... stay... in ... light... or something... evil... will happen..." she coughed harshly, spilling blood everywhere, though Squall didn't notice one bit , only caring that he had to find a way to save her.

God only knew he couldn't bear to lose her. She was his everything, his life, his freedom, his happiness and his light. He saved her many times before but he knew this wasn't the same as the other times before. He knew luck wasn't with him this time.

"Stay... in light… Squall... I ... Love you" she said before she gathered up all the strength she had left and reached up to lock their lips together.

Squall without a second more, returned her kiss, knowing that it would be the last one. As soon as the passion came, was as soon as it left. Squall felt Rinoas' body go limp under him but he kept pressing their lips together, not caring of the spilt blood. He felt a tear escape as he knew it was over. He crushed her body with his as he buried his face in her hair.

Lingering fragrance of faint strawberries, and iron salt rust filled his nostrils. He couldn't take it any longer as he let out an agonized cry. Only silence was met with the cry of Squalls mourn.

A low deep chuckle rung in the air as Xehanort clapped his hands. "Great performance, but unfortunately I think it's time for the show to end." Squall growled in fury. He placed Rinoa gently on the ground, and got up. He looked down at the ground and grabbed his fallen Gunblade. With another growl that had escaped thorough his clenched teeth, he charged towards Xehanort.

"Don't. Mock. Me!" He shouted as his Gunblade came in contact with the other man. Before laying a critical hit on him, Squall was sent flying back as his blade collided with an invisible barrier. Squalls name was shouted by his friends. Getting up again, he scooped his blade back up. He got ready to charge once more.

"Enough games, I'm ready to take what I came for in the first place." Xehanort said as he lifted a hand towards Rinoa. Rinoa's lifeless body started to float, dark shadows appearing around her. "To take what is rightfully mine!"

With another burst of anger, Squall charged towards Xehanort. Before anything had been linked in place, he heard her last few words in his mind.

_"Time Compression!"_ She shouted, his blade coming in contact with Xehanort. The ring necklace was still in his fisted hand. A white piercing light over shadowed everything before all systems were in place.

_"Stay in light Squall"_

_"...Is that a command?"_

_"...Yes"_

Then everything fell into oblivion.


	2. It's a Promise

**Darkness Mass  
>By: Little_Joy<br>Rated: R  
>Warnings: Violence and Blood<br>Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters from Final Fantasy VII - X, nor Kingdom Hearts.  
>Summary: All the worlds seem to be coming to an end again. There is a new evil villain that seems to be raising the bad from the dead. The worlds are starting to get disruptive and no one knows what to do. CloudxSquall<strong>

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><p>"<strong>Desperate<br>But not hopeless  
>I feel so useless<br>In the murder city  
>Desperate<br>But not helpless  
>The clock strikes midnight<br>In the murder city"**

**Murder City By Green Day**

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><p>The sound of the soft purr was heard as the spiky blond man reared his special motorcycle around. Revving to the side, the wind wiping his hair out of the way, he gunned the engine as he saw dark clouds smoldering together. Another roar of engine was heard from a few feet back. He didn't worry much as he knew it was the red-head and his comrade. The Turks knew it was something serious if the problem was coming from the same area as the last event took place.<p>

The blond slightly gazed to his right as he saw the red-head signal something towards him. The former Ex-SOLDIER nodded and sped faster towards their destination. Reno and Rude turned towards the right as they came close to the area. The Turks zoomed into the destroyed arena and headed towards the top.

Cloud had to embrace himself as his bike left the pavement and flew out toward the lower middle of the open area. Stepping quickly on his brakes, Fenrir came to a halt. Stepping off of his precious bike, he looked up at the sky as he saw the dark clouds accumulate together, almost dangerously close to a twist. His brow lowered as he got thoughtful. It was happening again. But how could that be possible?

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><p>A nicely form fitted brunette looked out the large window as an older blonde navigated his aircraft. Tifa, was her name, looked over at Cid as his brows lowered. He kept chewing on his unlit cigarette, gazing at his radar device. A petite short black haired girl walked cautiously behind Cid and looked over his shoulder.<p>

"What you find Cid?" He raised a hand and scratched his chin.

"'m getting the exact same signals from when the last battle occurred… weird" His frown deepened. "shouldn't be possible though, knuckle head already exterminated that bastard."

A tall dark haired man in red unfolded himself from his hidden place and stepped up next to Cid.

"Are you sure you're reading it correct?"

"'m as sure as sure can be damn it! Either there's something wrong with this piece of shit of device or that bastard's not dead, which partly 'm sure that numbskull got rid of him for good."

Vincent looked out towards the same destroyed area that everyone had faced not too long ago. He stayed quiet trying to figure out what could be going on. His eyes narrowed. The only possibility could be the only one everyone knew could actually not be possible. They really had a big case in their hands.

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><p>Boots thumped slowly in rhythm as Cloud paced cautiously. He glanced up to see Reno and Rude set up some special device that no doubt came from Shinra Corp. Cloud felt tense and unease as he kept circling around the lower middle. He had a bad feeling that this battle they were going to experience was not going to end well.<p>

The ground started to tremble a bit as small crumbles of cement fell off from the top. He looked around and stepped back towards Fenrir. He grabbed his First Tsurugi and prepared for what was coming next.

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><p>Rude looked at the screen as the radars analysis started to go wild. Reno gave a yelp as he stepped back towards Rude.<p>

"Whoa look at those babies down there."He said as he readjusted his goggles. Rude turned around and saw a hoard of small monsters making their way towards the run down arena.

"Get ready we might need to defend cloud" Rude said as he placed his equipment back into the car. Reno nodded as he got his iron baton.

"We might need more than luck this time to defend for what is coming towards us" Reno grunted keeping his eyes on the black hoard. His grimace turned into a wicked grin. "Well, let the games begin."

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><p>Tifa gripped her wrist as she saw the black mass heading towards the arena. Cids brow creased in worry as he saw that just like Rude, his radar was going hay-wire. All four of them looked out towards Cloud as he turned to his fighting stance. They definitely knew that this fight was not going to be a good one<p>

Cloud felt the tremor more fiercely. His gaze landed on a shadow that had appeared to move. At first he thought his eyes were deceiving him but as he looked closer the shadow started to come to life. He once again regained his fighting stance, ready for anything that was thrown at him.

Small and large figures started to form, making it alive. Cloud stiffened as he saw that the area was being filled by black monsters. He gripped his First Tsurugi tightly and swung it down on one of the black minions. The little monster disappeared but in its place appeared another one. Cloud sighed and got to work, knowing it would take a long time and energy to defeat every last one of them.

"Cloud!" A familiar voice shouted. He paused only to briefly see Tifa hanging on a rope latter. Yuffie was still at the top, trying to descend down. Before Cloud could retort something, one of the black creatures jumped on the rope latter ahead of Tifa and climbed up towards Yuffie. Yuffie grabbed her large shuriken and threw it only to find that the creature jump off and cut the rope were Tifa still hung.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted as he sprang towards her. She landed neatly on her hands and knees; luckily she wasn't too far up from where she had fallen. She ran towards cloud, as he fended off some creatures. They both heard some shooting on the top but didn't have time to really look into it; they just acted on instinct trying to fend for each other.

Before getting back to battle, the black minions stopped in their tracks and started to retreat. Both Tifa and Cloud glanced at one another but didn't let their guard down. The black mob had then started to merge into one another forming a black bubble. Everyone that was looking at what was happening was utterly confused but cautious.

"Stay near" Cloud said as he readjusted his hold on his sword. Tifa nodded. Reno kept whacking around with his baton drawing back the black creatures. Rude was shooting his bullets waiting for a moment for when he would really need his strength.

As more black creatures kept merging, the black bubble then burst open. A tall bald man with wicked evil golden eyes stood before them. The herd stopped to wait for a command. A low chuckle was heard as his eyes landed on Cloud.

"Ah, I found you my little puppet." He said as he started to descend towards Cloud. His eyes narrowed as the evil stranger started to walk towards him.

"Don't get any closer" He growled. Tifa nodded and stood beside him. Clouds' eyes glowed more than usual as the other stranger stepped closer, taunting him. Another dark chuckle escaped his lips.

"Ah and what if I do?" He replied as he took another taunting step.

Cloud smirked slightly. "Well then, we'll have to teach you how to obey orders!" He looked at Tifa, whom in return nodded and ran towards the other side of the lot. Cloud charged towards him, lifting his blade up with ease and brought it down while Tifa charged behind him. The Stranger smirked as he viewed everything in slow motion. It was already too late to take back their action. Both Rude and Reno's voices were heard as they saw the impact.

Cloud and Tifa went flying back as soon as their blows counter attacked them. Tifa flew back in fast velocity that when her back made impact with the wall it left a large dent. Her body fell limp on the floor; all her breath had rushed out from the force. Her breathing became hollow as her insides felt as if they were lit on fire. She couldn't move a muscle, letting the fire dim before she was able to open her eyes.

Cloud flew back and hit the ground roughly, luckily his blade pierced right close by him. Groaning he tried to sit up. Rubbing the back of his head he gazed at the stranger whom had a playful grin appearing around the edges. Looking past him, he saw Tifa on the ground laying still. His breath caught in his throat as he kept his gaze on her figure. His eyes narrowed into slit glowing blues. Suppressing another groan, he grabbed his Fusion Sword and stood up into his fighting stance.

"Who are you" Cloud demanded. The stranger smiled widely as he opened his arms.

"The world knows me as Xemnas but only those I truly need know me by Xehanort"

Cloud made a mental note to remember that cynical name. "Xehanort, huh? Nice name… To inscribe it on your grave!" He charged again but his attack was reflected and he flew back once more. He heard a laugh as he tried to stand up again.

"Well you're a feisty one, aren't you?" He mocked. Cloud growled and prepared to charge again, but he suddenly felt his lower half paralyzed. He looked down towards his feet and found that his legs were being frozen slowly. His eyes furrowed and he tried to break free but found it was nearly impossible under the hold. Another sound of amusement escaped Xehanorts lips as he started walking towards Cloud .

Reno and Rude tried to intervene him from getting closer but before they were able to, they found an invisible barrier was set for no interference from the outside whatsoever. No one could do anything but stand there and watch what would happen next.

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><p>Tifa tried in vain to get up and help Cloud but it only triggered her pure agony. She didn't want to just lay there and watch her childhood friend be dealt with all alone with some psycho. She had to help him somehow, she thought. She closed her eyes as she tried to think of something quick.<p>

All of a sudden she felt this prick of sensation that she hasn't never noticed before. She was undecided on whether it was safe or not but decided she would take any chance in order to help Cloud out at any cost. With determination fired up in her veins, she closed her eyes once more and concentrated deeply on that one sensation that started to flood through her whole body. As if someone had triggered an on button, automatically she felt this huge sensation over power her body, filling her with a warm feeling.

"You did it!" A familiar voice said. "Now trust me and let me handle this for you."

She agreed and let her mind flow free. She felt herself different, as if another person had entered and taken over her own body, but she knew it was for good. All she was able to do now was to be part of the audience, much to her chagrin.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright... but if there's any chance that something goes wrong, remember to find cloud and be his light!" Aerith told Tifa as her body started to get up and move towards both facing opponents.

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><p>Cloud couldn't feel from the waist down anymore. The ice kept increasing by each tick of the second, covering him up slowly. He tried to break free a few times but it was useless. His eye caught a figure walking closer towards Xehanort and he. The closer they got he figured out that Tifa was the moving figure. About to warn her to stay away he stopped himself as he took in her gaze. He was surprised to see that her natural honey brown does were replaced by tender reassuring aqua hues. Looking a bit closely he could see some of Tifa's features had also changed.<p>

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><p>Cid and the others were sick of being unable to do anything but watch as Cloud was being frozen from bottom to top. Yuffie jumped up and down in cheer as she saw Tifa's foot go through the barrier and knock Xehanort back as he was about to advance on Cloud.<p>

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><p>Cloud was a bit taken back at the scene that took place in front of him. Before he commented, she faced him quickly.<p>

"Tifa got a hold of the life stream when she went looking for you the last time she went to the abandoned church. I tapped on the little she consumed. What I'm about to do is really dangerous, so listen clearly Cloud, when I'm done remember not to get close to darkness! It may be tempting but look for your light! I need-" Aerith was cut short as she was sent flying back by an unexpected dark creature. She hit the wall hard and gasped loudly. Xehanort glowered as he patted imaginary dust away.

"Aerith! Tifa!" Cloud exclaimed. He glared at Xehanort whom kept glowering towards her direction.

"Does she obviously think she was going to get away without a scratch? Obviously not." He turned his gaze back at Cloud whom glared more profusely.

"Now, I think its time to take my leave quickly and get what I came for." He lifted his hand and reached to touch Cloud.

"Don't you dare touch me you bastard!" He growled but he was simply ignored. Xehanort placed his hand on him and the ice increased at a faster rate. Cloud started to feel his body go numb as his insides felt a sensation different from what he had ever experienced before. He didn't like this sensation, not at all. He felt as if his own self was being drifted off somewhere else.

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><p>Aerith and Tifa saw Clouds eyes glaze and turn a shade or two darker from his original hues. They both knew instantly what Xehanort was aiming for. AerithTifa got up quickly and with all their strength left, both girls in one body ran towards Xehanort.

"No!" They cried out. Aerith chanted with Tifa "Time Compression!"

They smacked the ice with much force, making it shatter open and into pieces while their other free hand came in contact with Xehanorts chest.

Cloud let out a gasp as his body was free from the entrance he was being sucked into. He was puzzled from what was happening but before he could act, a blinding light had sucked him in. Once more he was stuck in darkness. No, he disagreed, this isn't darkness, its a place to rest for now. He knew this darkness wasn't evil, it was pure and embracing if he said so himself. Before drifting in deeply he then heard their voice one last time until they met again.

_"Be safe and find your light Cloud"_ Aerith Said.

_"Don't worry, we'll find you, I promise"_ A familiar voice intruded.

Cloud nodded at nothing. "Its a Promise, Tifa."

Than there was Black.


	3. Be safe

**Darkness Mass  
>By: Little_Joy<br>Rated: R  
>Warnings: Violence and Blood<br>Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters from Final Fantasy VII - X, nor Kingdom Hearts.  
>Summary: All the worlds seem to be coming to an end again. There is a new evil villain that seems to be raising the bad from the dead. The worlds are starting to get disruptive and no one knows what to do. CloudxSquall<strong>

***Please Read***

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all those who favorite this story, it makes me really happy... but I have to say something. I'm really grateful and all that y'all like the story enough to favorite or alert it . And I also see that there has been good hits for this story! But I want to please ask you all to please leave a review. Just a small one. I don't mind if its very small and simple like "The story was sad" or something, but anything would be fine. You see I would like to know if my story is progressing good and if its getting good to you readers or if I need to maybe change my style of writing. I would really like some feed back. Of course I'm not going to make you do anything but it would help me TREMENDOUSLY if you reviewed. That's all I ask of you guys and its been bothering me for a while. I hope you review and will be waiting for it. Thanks again guys!**

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><p>"<strong>I climb, I slip, I fall<br>Reaching for your hands  
>But I lay here all alone<br>Sweating all your blood  
>If I could find out how<br>To make you listen now  
>Because I'm starving for you here<br>With my undying love  
>And I, I will<br>Breathe for love tomorrow  
>Cause there's no hope for today<br>Breathe for love tomorrow  
>Cause maybe there's another way"<strong>

**Breathe By Paramore**

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><p>A gasp escaped the short brunette. She clutched her staff closely balancing her weight even. The carefree blonde stopped shortly of his doing as he caught sight of her. He ran up to her with a worried expression.<p>

"Yuna?"He gently grabbed her shoulders and tried to make her look into his eyes, but unfortunately she had them shut tight. He asked again. "Yuna?"

Slowly she shook her head, her eyes fluttering open in the same motion. Her voice soft and quiet.

"Tidus"She spoke so softly that the blonde boy almost missed it. "Something's going to happen real soon."

"What do you mean?" Puzzled, Tidus remained confused by the sudden reaction. How did the day end up like this, he asked himself. The day started as fun and games and now its ending with something drastic. Tidus had been playing Blitz ball with Wakka while Yuna stayed with Lulu, Rikku and Paine on the side lines talking.

"The spirits... they're speaking to me." Yuna said as her gaze locked with Tidus'. His brows knitted together but before he could ask, Wakka let out a yelp while indicating that a big tidal wave had hit him.

"Wakka!" His pregnant wife yelled.

Said man was swallowed immediately and was lost in the wave. Tidus told Yuna to stay put as he dived inside to get Wakka out. Rikku went to her side as Paine led Lulu towards them. Yuna gasped again as she heard the voices once more. Pictures flashed right before her eyes, unable to identify the meaning of it.

_**Stop it**__, s_omething whispered. _**It's coming. Destruction. Darkness**__. _It all came in a whirl for Yuna as she tried to grasp the one whisper that had turned into dozens of voices. They just seemed to keep growing by the second from whispers to shouts of death and destruction. The pictures in her mind then became little video clips as she saw unknown people die and mourn before her eyes. A young man, not any older than her, clutched onto another body as he mourned for the other person. Another older man was being frozen from bottom to top on the spot as a feminine figure layed on the ground unmoving. The film then took to another familiar place she knew so well. Her whole surrounding was being sucked in by a massive storm as Tidus was being drawn in deeper into the ocean along with Wakka.

Her eyes flew open and a small terrified gasp escaped her lips. She didn't even remember when she had closed her eyes at any moment. She shouted out for Tidus as she grabbed he staff to help him out.

Tidus had Wakka on his side and was trying to swim towards safe surface but it seemed prove a difficult task. The tidal waves became more furious at each passing time. Yuna ran towards the ocean and was about to enter but a grip was holding her back. Rikku had grabbed on to her quickly before she entered and tide a rope around Yunas waist. The others prepared themselves to grip on the rope tightly to rear Yuna in. When Yuna was fully in and close enough to Tidus, she stretched out her staff and Tidus reached out to grab it. Clutching onto her staff, he held on to Wakka tightly. For a moment there he had thought he was a goner! As the girls started to pull them back out, the clouds started to whirl and merge with one another. Almost in a dangerous manner, it looked as if the clouds were forming into a weird whirl pool of air in the sky.

All of them stopped and saw something was descending from the clouds. Yuna's breath was caught in her throat. She knew that man from somewhere. If she remembered correctly, it was the same bald man with the wicked golden eyes she saw in her mind! She knew he was here to do no good. She ushered the others to hurry up.

Tidus looked up and had a really bad feeling. He sucked in Yuna's expression and knew this was a bad sign. Yuna's eyes had widen in fractions as she saw the man was getting closer. She tried to rush over to safe shore but she knew it was already too late. Tidus led out a yelp as his grip loosened.

"Tidus!" Yuna shouted as Tidus was sucked back into the ocean with Wakka.

There was a cry in the back that pained her but she ignored it as she focused on the whispers again.

_**He has come! **_

_** He will bring evil! **_

_** Don't let him get you!**_

_** Save all! **_

_** The only way! **_

_** The only way is..**_

All the whispers kept saying it over and over that it just became a mass of sound.

"Well this was easy. If I had known sooner that my prey would be an easy catch, I would have came here sooner. It is almost like taking candy from a baby." An amused deep voice spoke. Yuna snapped out of her trance as she saw that he had already arrived to open shore. He then stepped over water as it froze under his footing.

Tidus struggled to get back to surface with Wakka but noticed the water had dropped in temperature. Looking up he saw the ice going over his head as someone stood over him and smirked down towards his direction. His eyes narrowed as he started to swim towards shore. The bald man laughed out loud as he saw Tidus's attempt to go to shore.

"Well he's a lively one" He said as his ice kept spreading.

Yuna gasped as she saw the stranger walk over Tidus's head as Tidus tried to swim to land. Tidus saw that his attempt were futile as he saw the man was just trying to mock him. He decided if he couldn't swim then he would have to smash his way out! He readjusted his hold with Wakka by pinning one of his overalls with Tidus tightly, before preparing to start smashing the ice with his body.

The whispers than screamed at her.

"But how?" she replied desperately to understand them.

_**We'll help you. **_They said together. Yuna nodded, her eyes narrowed as they landed upon the evil stranger. _**Xehanort, **_they would say, guessing that was the mans name, she looked up as she approached him from afar. He lifted his hand and summoned black creatures from the ground to do his bidding. She refused to back down and bid his every need, so she ran towards the shore and placed her staff before her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the voices.

A warm feeling startled to bubble over her insides leaving a calm feeling as the spirits took over her body. Opening her eyes, she saw Xehanorts face turn serious as he concentrated on his black minions to take over Yuna. The spirits protected her as she had started to do her spiritual dance, though this time the spirits wouldn't be the ones resting in peace.

Tidus felt his conscious come and go but he held on as much as he could. He knew that if he nor Wakka got out any time soon, they really would be as good as gone. He had swam towards Yuna unconsciously of his move, and decided to stay under her as he felt more safer with her there. The darkness was getting harder to keep out of.

Yuna kept dancing gracefully without any disturbance while Xehanort tried to disrupt her in any ways cost. The voices reassured her that she was safe. She smiled and chanted along with the spirits guiding her. With one last move she struck her staff breaking the ice enough for the staff to go through. Once again she opened her eyes and locked them with Tidus. Automatically her hand placed over his through the glass ice and saw a small smile appear as his eyes closed completely.

"Time Compression!" Then the ice broke in whole, Xehanorts anger was dissipated as he saw his ice and dark shadows crumble to his feet. A white light over took them all and the last words Tidus heard was of his one and truly love.

_"Be safe, Tidus." _


	4. Great Luck

**Darkness Mass  
>By: Little_Joy<br>Rated: R  
>Warnings: Profanities<br>Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters from Final Fantasy VII - X, nor Kingdom Hearts.  
>Summary: All the worlds seem to be coming to an end again. There is a new evil villain that seems to be raising the bad from the dead. The worlds are starting to get disruptive and no one knows what to do. CloudxSquall<br>**

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><p>"<strong>Is this the real life?<br>Is this just fantasy?  
>Caught in a landslide,<br>No escape from reality  
>Open your eyes,<br>Look up to the skies and see,"  
><strong>**Bohemian Rhapsody**** By Queen**

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><p>Light colors flashed his surroundings as pressure was being insured on his body. His eyes felt heavy lidded as he tried to keep them open but to no avail was he able to keep conscious for more than a few seconds. He didn't know what was really happening nor did he have any idea where he was going to end up. He was probably floating somewhere for all he knew, but after opening his eyes once more, it was more like a lingering warning telling him that he was actually falling. Where? Squall didn't linger long enough to ponder on it as his mind slipped to the sweet welcoming comfort of the darkness.<p>

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><p>Flying, colors, pulling gravity… and then water. Lots and lots of water.<p>

Light emerald eyes fluttered open. Registering her vision, she found herself trying to figure out what the colors were before she claimed they were object and ornaments. She found herself lying on a bed in an unknown room. Immediately she sucked in a harsh breath as she tried to sit up on the bed. Her chest felt as if flames had engulfed her insides as she tried to take a deep breath to calm her beating heart. The once was gone wound was back in the same area that Sephiroth had inflicted on her. She clenched her fist as she tried to stay still so the pain could subside. Fortunately, the wound wasn't as severe as it was before. It seems that someone was trying to slowly close the wound for her and had bandaged her up professionally. With much more effort, she carefully sat up slowly trying not to reopen her healing wounds as the pain tried to increase by each small movement.

Taking in her surroundings much more clearly, she gazed around and came upon two familiar figures. Wrapped up under the covers were Yuffie and Cid. She sighed in relief as she felt content that she was not alone. She hoped that the others were close by and safe. She gazed back at the two but then did a double take. She gasped lightly, wincing a bit as she looked at both Yuffie and Cid. Both Yuffie and Cids features had changed from the last time she had seen them. Yuffie seemed to have shrunk and deform back to her younger days. Her baby face was back in place which she had seemed to have lost during the years. Cid on the other hand had aged tremendously then what he was really worth. Wrinkles were much more noticeable than when he was much younger. Cid would definitely not like this change in him, thought the young brunette as she kept examining her companions. She wondered if she too had changed.

She sighed and prepared herself to get up when all of a sudden one of the big patterned tiles started to shake and descend downward. Confused, she looked around the bright room to find out that there wasn't any door or window in sight.

"Ah, I see you're up bright and early" An elderly man with a long flowing white beard chuckled as he stood in the place where the floor board had been removed. "Oh be careful now, you might not want to open that wound of yours again."

The young brunette nodded as she tried to get up once more. The older man rushed towards her side to help her up as she went to her friends' side.

"It's alright, I'll be fine in a couple of hours." She smiled at the elderly man as she tried walking slowly towards Yuffie and Cid. "May I ask where we are?"

"Oh my, how careless of me, you're in Traverse town of course. This is my little humble home you had… stumbled upon. My name is Merlin." He said with a small chuckle.

She smiled and bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for your hospitality Sir Merlin. My name is Aerith Gainsborough and these are my fellow friends, Yuffie Kisaragi and Cid Highwind." She pointed out.

"Oh don't be so modest, you may call me Merlin. I feel so old when you say it like that!" He laughed. Aerith giggled a bit as she looked back at her mates. She lifted the covers a bit as she tried to inspect if Yuffie had any wounds. She wasn't a healer for nothing.

"Oh no need to check, they're perfectly fine as new without a scratch on sight when I had found you lot."

Perking up, Aerith was curious on how Merlin had found them. She was about to ask when she then heard some rustling. The first one to rise seemed to be the small hyper ninja. A low groan escaped her lips as her limbs started to come back to life. She stretched out in the twin bed giving another groan as she felt her bones crack. Her large brown eyes flutter open, letting her image adjust to her surroundings. The first sight she had come upon was Aerith's youthful face.

"Oh crap!" She exclaimed as she quickly sat up straight. She winced as she felt a sharp throb strike through her head. "Ow… oh man I didn't know the Lifestream was this painful…aw man… I'M DEAD! Aw! I didn't even get to finish stealing all the Materia collection! Now who's going to be able to restore back Wutai- "

"Yuffie" Aerith's soft voice called out to the frantic girl who kept crying out. "Yuffie, you're not dead."

"Huh?" She asked dumbfounded.

"You're not dead." Aerith repeated as she smiled patiently.

"But- but how? You're- you're here!" Yuffie's wide eyes had gone impossibly much larger as she felt confusion over come her. Aerith sighed as she tried to settle down carefully with Merlin's help on the side of Yuffie's bed. As she was about to start, all of them heard another groan rise. She turn slightly to see Cid rise up cautiously as he rubbed the side of his head in ease. A small sneer was starting to appear on the blonde mans lips.

Stretching, he led out a number of curses and obscenities as each bone kept cracking. Same process as the others, he let his gaze settle clearly before he looked at what was around him. His roaming eyes had settled on the young Aerith before he was really processing anything. A moment passed by as he kept gazing at her blankly before his eyes widen a fraction.

"Holy sh-"

"Cid please." Aerith's smile never wavered as she interrupted him.

"What the hell? How are you- Where am I- We- Whatever! Where the hell are we?" Cid exclaimed, he was starting to get irritated by his confusion.

Aerith sighed as she looked away and met Merlin's own gaze. "We were going to get to that point..." Merlin nodded; a smile still in place but his gaze had turned to extreme seriousness that had suddenly overwhelmed the trio.

"Do any of you remember the last thing you happen to have been doing?"

All three members looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "Good." Merlin snapped his fingers and then a chair had appeared, or more like had apparently moved itself into place. Merlin wasn't fazed a bit.

"As I have spoken to Ms. Gainsborough here, my name is Merlin and you are officially in Traverse Town. You lot had arrived yesterday evening in front of my house. Now you see, that's very much impossible as you will see why that may be. My... helpers had given me a hand in order to bring you up to this room."

"If I may ask, are you a... wizard?" Aerith spoke as she tried to process what had just happened.

"Why yes, a sorcerer to be exact." She nodded and a thought immediately came to mind.

"Do you know how we arrived here?"

"Why certainly. It was very noticeable when all of a sudden the sky had shined so brightly like it was the early morning. You see, in Traverse Town it's always dark. Not a spark of day light ever shows up. It surprised me, especially when all of a sudden a splash was heard outside of my own home."

"Splash?" Yuffie cocked her head to the side.

"My house is surrounded by water. You could say my house is literally in the middle of a lagoon. But that is something else you might want to know about later. Now would you mind if you could recall what you last remember?"

Thinking back, the trio thought about what their last action was. Breaking the silence, Aerith spoke first. "Back in our… town, I was known as a healer. I worked in selling flowers with my mother before I was found out what I really was. They tried to capture me at every moment they could get to experiment on me. I wouldn't let them. In wasn't going to turn out like _**him.**_ When I met up with my friends they helped me in many ways they didn't even realize. I was so happy…"

"They? Him?" Merlin puzzled.

"There was an organization called Shinra that tried to experiment on humans and ancient beings. T'wasn't pleasant and most of the time the fuckers drove those beings either to the brink of death or to real monsters. They were trying to find a substance called Mako. They thought with that substance at hold, it would make them powerful. Mako was actually the Lifestream or to be more specific, spirit energy. Mako was the main source that powered up the electrical power. Without it the planet would have died. As for _**him;**_ Bastards name was Sephiroth, a powerful mad asshole that was eliminated by one of our comrades." Cid answered as he lifted his legs over the edge of his bed.

"We predict he is the reason why we are here." Aerith said as she ignored the few profanities Cid had sputtered out. "I, myself wouldn't be here if one of our friends hadn't lent me her body. She had accessed the Lifestream in order for me to help them out of the danger."

"I apologize but I do not quite understand." The sorcerer spoke up.

"Remember Cid said the Lifestream is actually spirit energy?" Merlin nodded. "I came from the spirit energy, Merlin, meaning I'm supposed to be dead. If Tifa hadn't been able to access The Lifestream, I wouldn't be here. In fact I think none of us would be here."

Merlin stayed quiet for a moment as he tried to let the information sink in. Only a moment passed as he nodded than asked each one of them to describe what happened in their views. They each explained in detail as Merlin listened intently, only getting up once to grab an ancient book from the side shelf. When they finished explaining, he merely cleared his throat as he leafed through the old withered pages.

"Have any of you heard of time compression?" He stopped at a certain page. Both Yuffie and Cid shook their heads but Aerith had a deep look as she tried to concentrate on the words. Something clicked in her mind.

"I have" She responded. The older man nodded slowly as he met her gaze evenly.

"I am aware that you were the one that summoned it, am I correct?" She nodded. He hummed softly in thought as he kept scanning through the pages. Finally he closed the book with a loud thump and looked at his guests.

"What the heck is Time Compression?" Yuffie asked. Both her and Cid felt they were left out of the loop of some type of information that should be known.

"Time Compression is a spell that stops time and lets you travel either through the past or future. It's a very powerful spell that should not be dealt with lightly. Just one wrong move and you might be facing destruction in your hands, or even worse, you might get stuck in between times which would be impossible to reverse." The sorcerer explained. He looked at Aerith then back at the others. "The only reason why you might still be here is because Ms. Gainsborough was able to summon the spell on time."

"What!" Yuffie's eyes widen. Cid lifted a brow then patted around his front pocket only to find his pack of cigarettes where nowhere to be found. He growled in frustration at his missing obsession. He gazed to the side and saw a straw sitting on a nightstand. Grabbing it, he reluctantly started to chew the stick.

"Alright old geezer, so yer telling me a dead girl summoned a spell so complicated I could be stuck in some screwed up time period that might be impossible ta even understand?"

"In those term of words, why yes."

"Well fuck me hard, huh." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Cid, language please." Aerith warned again. Cid gave a grunt but conceded.

"Okay..."Yuffie drawled out, then asked "But I still don't get it! Why the heck do we look so different?"

"Different?" Merlin asked in confusion.

"Yeah! I mean look! I look freaking sixteen again!" She exclaimed.

"Again?" Merlin was beyond puzzled now.

"Heck yeah! I'm twenty-one! Aerith was twenty-five and Cid is originally thirty-four, not sixty!"

"Hey you little brat! I don't look that old!" Cid growled out.

"Yeah well tell that to those who don't think that, gramps!" Yuffie retorted.

"Why you-"

"Now, now" Merlin said as he opened his old book again. Silence then reined on them as they waited for the wise elder to speak.

"Ah, I see" He said as he unconsciously stroked his beard.

"Welp Merl?" She nicknamed him. "What is it?"

"Well the spell that Ms. Gainsborough had summoned sometimes come with side affects. Luckily your only side affect was the confusion of your age youth. Your features had transformed you into what the spell might have picked up from each one of you. Mainly from the way you act to the simple of a thought you have.

"For example, you my dear Yuffie may be old enough by features but you might still be a child at heart. Ms. Gainsborough-"

"Please, it's Aerith." She smiled.

"Alright, Aerith here may be older but she had parted young. In her age appearance it may seem she is around eighteen if not nineteen. It seems that she had nurtured into adulthood but still look young enough since she parted at such a young age. Now Mr. Cid Highwind, is another case. It seems that although he was still young, the spell must have captivated his older attitude."

"Well that makes sense... The old grump was always biting peoples head off if they even uttered a word his direction! We can't even mention his precious aircraft before he goes into his rants!"

Yuffie laughed as Aerith threw a scowl at Cid's direction since he decided to show Yuffie a certain finder. Merlin smiled at the odd pair.

"Now" Merlin cleared his throat as he tried to get their full attention once more. "The real problem is how to get you youngsters back home."

"Can't you coax something out of your gigantic book?" Yuffie asked.

"It's not that simple Yuffie. It takes a very long time to actually perfect a spell, that is... if there is a spell." Aerith sighed.

"I still have not been able to reveal this spell. It might take weeks, months, and maybe years before you are able to return to your world." Merlin mused.

"So we're stuck here until you can get the spell for us to get back?" Yuffie asked. Merlin nods solemnly.

The trio gazed at one another in worry. From the looks of it, they weren't too pleased with the outcome since they had left their world at a horrid timing. As if reading their minds, the sorcerer opened his book once more to start his research. "Do not fret" He spoke as he flipped each page tenderly, "If I do recall back to my memory, when the spell is cast, it allows the time period to stop, meaning your world should be safe...at least for now."

Aerith sighed as she let her gaze fall on her lap. "I'm sorry for my irrational actions I had to put you through, but if I didn't-"

"Don't worry Aer! We know your intentions were in good heart! Right Cid?" Yuffie exclaimed. Aerith's gaze swerved towards Cids as he nodded and grunted an approval with his signature move as if to show indifference. Aerith smiled up at her friends then faced Merlin.

"Merlin, do you mind if I help out in your research?" The old sorcerer looked up and smiled.

"Why of course dear! The more the merrier as I always say! Now the local library does not have any sort of spell books but luckily I've been around long enough to collect some of my own. Now before we start our research, I think it is a good Idea to feed you youngsters." As if on cue, Yuffie's stomach grumbled as loud as a lion.

"Whoops" She said sheepishly while giving a nervous laugh and rubbing the back of her head. Cid scoffed while the others laughed.

* * *

><p>The others had always lived in a very technical Mako induced world. But never have they experienced living in a place where only magic was the main source of their living. The trio were very amazed on how each and every living thing in the small home was being produced by magic itself, the chair moving on its own towards them, dusters dusting the place up by themselves, mops and brooms cleaning every spot making the house sparkle and gleam. What amazed Yuffie the most was how the food was cooking itself as she tried not to drool on the counter top, much to the dismay of the cleaning towels.<p>

Satisfied of their small feast, Merlin took Aerith to show her his small personal library to start their research. Cid and Yuffie decided to take a stroll around town to get a better outlook of the place. Just before leaving the small home, both of them heard low pats from afar. Stepping out of the house, they saw a golden dog hop some steps towards their way.

"Whoa" Yuffie said as she gazed around. Cid led out a small whistle in astonishment. Merlin wasn't kidding when he said his house was literally in the middle of a lagoon.

"What the-" Cid looked down feeling a tug on his pants. "get this fucking runt off of me." He growled. The dog barked as he ran in circles around them.

"I think he's trying to tell us something..." As soon as Yuffie let those words slip, the golden dog barked in approval before running off. "Hey wait!" Yuffie called as she chased after the dog. Cid groaned. Knowing Yuffie, she'd probably get lost and the responsibility would be on him if anything happened to the hyperactive ninja. Chasing after her, he saw her turn up some grand stairs passing by a sign which indicated him that it was _'District 3'_. He continued through some alley and turned left seeing an opening.

"Cid, look!" He heard Yuffies voice ring out. Stepping out of the alley, he saw Yuffie bent over a dark figure. Two dalmatians were sitting by the side of the fallen figure, whimpering and sniffling. The Golden dog barked in alert letting both Yuffie and Cid know it was an unconscious person. Standing beside her, he bent down to take a closer look on the person himself.

A young man, no more then twenty, lied before them unconsciously. His silk brown hair touched the tips of his shoulders in disarray as his sun-kissed skin had a few blotches of bruises and bleeding cuts. Amazingly enough, he didn't have any rips, torn, nor stains on his clothing. But counting from the bad head wound he seemed to have sported, it wouldn't be a surprise if his attire started to dirty. The handsome young man seemed like he wasn't going to be coming around for a while and with no help of the head wound, Cid grimaced at the thought of the man bleeding to death if they didn't help him out soon.

Cid sighed and flickered his fist underneath his nosed as he came to a decision. He stretched his arms up as he felt his back crack and then bent down so he could adjust the young man up right. Yuffie got the hint and helped place the man on Cids back. Cid groaned a bit on the added weight but knew he could handle it. He made sure he had a good grip on the man before starting his trek back towards Merlin's place, cursing Hyne for his unbelievably **great** luck.


	5. Reality

**Darkness Mass  
>By: Little_Joy<br>Rated: R  
>Warnings: …... No more warnings... They get really annoying after a while...<br>Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters from Final Fantasy VII - X, nor Kingdom Hearts.  
>Summary: All the worlds seem to be coming to an end again. There is a new evil villain that seems to be raising the bad from the dead. The worlds are starting to get disruptive and no one knows what to do. CloudxSquall<strong>  
><strong>AN: Like I promised in my last authors note for those who read it, I had finally updated! Whoot! But I do have to send a special thanks to **_**UltimateNinjaOfDoom **_****because without her I don't think I would have been updating anytime soon. So thankies to her for bringing my spirits up! Now as promised, the next chapter of DM. Hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to please read and review! ;D****

**P.S: Before I forget! I send my love and thanks to my beta/sister! She's the best! With out her I don't think I would be able to have gotten grammer and stuff corrected and out of the way... plus my main goal is to turn her to a Cleon fan xD alright enough nonsense! Read people!**

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><p>"<strong>-Gasping for air as you're slipping through my fingers<br>Don't kiss me goodbye, please don't leave here-  
>-The smell of sacrifice<br>Your disappearing whispers  
>I cannot grasp how my life inside just withers<br>Don't kiss me goodbye, please don't leave here  
>I'm dying inside (knowing it's my fault)<br>Crying with my (fist against the wall)  
>Can't get away<br>I swear I'm gonna break  
>I'm paralyzed, I need you now"<br>Paralyzed By Brain Head Welch**

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><p>A sigh escaped the brunettes lips as she placed a large book on the ground. Merlin wasn't kidding about being around long enough to collect his own library. There should be at least a thousand or so books; however, Aerith hadn't expected to find the books in an uncommon place. Who would have thought a bag could hold so many books at once! She was amazed by the marvelous contraption of a bag that Merlin had shown her...<p>

But that's besides the point. Aerith was currently searching through some healing spell books she had asked him a while back. Aerith felt that while she was helping out Merlin to try and decipher a reverse spell, she might as well learn a thing or two about healing. She was so used to using materia when she was still in the living realm that it took quite sometime to even conquer the easy spells.

Of course, since each and every one of them had experience on using some type of magic, like materia, it was a bit helpful since all they really needed to do was to learn how to use the magic spell properly. It was also much easier since materia would sometimes get complicated with doubling itself or matching its orb to its rightful place. Plus it usually took a lot of time and patience to correct a mistake. One wrong move and you would be summoning a low spell hit on a higher opponent in battle.

"Here. This book is one of the oldest books I had collected in my years of traveling. It should be able to help you a bit more in learning how to perfect older spells that are uncommon now a days." Merlin said as he handed her another large book. Aerith smiled as she grabbed the book and started to look over its contents.

A distant bark was heard outside. Puzzled, Merlin looked up from his tome as the sounds came closer. Placing his large book down, he frowned while he headed towards the entrance of his home; he had an inkling feeling that something was wrong. Stepping out, he saw Pluto was racing towards him while Yuffie and Cid trailed behind the dog. Taking a closer look, Merlin saw Cid was carrying a large bundle on his back. The closer they got, the more he was able to distinguish the bundle as a person.

"Oh dear..." Quickly coming out of his astonishment, he raised an arm and the stepping stones came to a halt. All four stepping stones then merged with one another to make a steady walkway. Merlin led them into the house, summoning the same tile they each had ridden on and took the stranger to the upper floor.

Aerith looked up from her own tome to see Cid carry a stranger to one of the beds. Quickly, She placed the book down and instructed Cid to place the man on hers. Getting up carefully from her chair, she walked towards the stranger and looked closely for any fatal wounds. Brushing aside his chocolate bangs, Aerith examined the strangers bloody temple seeing how deep the gash had penetrated. Taking a few minutes to analyze his whole exterior, she ordered the others to bring her specific equipment.

* * *

><p>Placing a small glass to the mans lips, Aerith tried to ease the liquid in to help heal the smaller wounds. She sighed as she sat down on a chair close to the bed; she had already finished cleaning and closing the larger fatal wounds for him. All there was left to do was wait for him to recover. Unfortunately for both, he seemed to have caught a high fever. From that moment on, she never left his side. Carefully she would change his bandages and replace his wet cloth when needed.<p>

Thankfully his fever broke 2 days later.

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><p>His conscious would come and go. He didn't know what was real and what was not. Sometimes he would open his eyes and have his vision blur full of colors, and sometimes he was back in Balamb with his friends, still commanding instructions to the students, or sending out instructors to prepare for future SeeDs. But none of them would contain the image of Rinoa. Although a dream or not, Squall has yet to see her face. It frustrated him to no end.<p>

_Where was Rinoa? _

_Shouldn't she be here by my side? _

_Where is she?_

Those questions kept plaguing his mind but he couldn't seem to form an answer...

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><p>Squall knew something was different. The atmosphere seemed to have a different scent; a warm type of feeling, yet unfamiliar. It didn't help that his body was aching and protested at each little movement he made, clogging up his usually sharp senses. Trying to channel a bit of energy, he mustered up the small strength to open his eyes. He groaned audibly, as his sensitive eyes tried to register his vision.<p>

His gaze fell upon a full blur of colors and faint light, much to his chagrin. Squall then heard the shuffle of something beside him. Trying to decipher what it was, all he was able to see was the silhouette of a form bending towards him. All of a sudden he felt a small sensation of something cold and wet stroking the sides of his face. Normally Squall would have snapped the object away but he couldn't seem to muster enough energy to do it. Before he knew it, he had closed his eyes again and found himself welcoming the familiar darkness once more.

* * *

><p>"Squall!" He heard a familiar voice exclaim. He looked around and found himself back in a battle field. That too, was familiar to him... His heart raced as he gazed around for the owner of its voice.<p>

"Squall help!" Coming to an abrupt stop, his gaze fell upon the figure from afar. Hope sprung into his being as he saw his love stand within distance of the vile being. She seemed to be tattered up a bit but still alive.

Alive.

That's all he wanted for her; to stay alive and by his side. Maybe this was a dream... or maybe...did he reverse time? Did God want to grant him another chance to save his light? He's done it before, why not again?

With hope still blooming, Squall clutched his Lionheart and made to move forward but froze. He didn't know why he froze or why his body wasn't doing what he was commanding it to do, but he simply couldn't move. He tried in vain to move his legs forward but they were stuck like cement. He heard the cling of metal drop by his side but he didn't dare look. Squall summoned all the strength he could but it was no use. He was practically paralyzed from top to bottom with only his vision to serve him freely.

He definitely didn't dare take his eyes off of Rinoa. Squall was admittedly scared that she would disappear before his eyes again. He felt heated gazes on him; he knew his friends were watching his every move expecting him to lurch for her safety. Ignoring them, he once more tried to make his mind order his body to walk forward... but nothing happened.

Squall wanted to die. Just like before, he watched her die right before his eyes. And he couldn't do anything about it. Squall wanted to curse and rip to pieces the monster that had taken away his light. He wanted to go on a rampage. Seeing her eyes dim, body go limp in his arms made him want to kill the bastard and himself.

Each millisecond that passed as Squall leaned down to touch their lips, his heart kept breaking. Having Rinoa's cold lips touch his, made him freeze his broken heart. The few tears that dropped made him shut down to the world and cry out her name.

* * *

><p>"Rinoa" The stranger groaned. Aeriths brow furrowed as she added another wet cloth to his forehead. His fever had started to return and kept rising by the hour. It worried worried her as she kept taking his temperature; she didn't know why it wouldn't simmer down. Yuffie tried her best to help Aerith in taking care of the man; she would bring extra water and cloths when needed and helped change the bed sheets (to her dismay, Yuffie said she didn't mind catching a good glimpse at the eye candy...). But mostly, she just tried to keep out of the way of Aerith and sat in a corner observing.<p>

Yuffie wasn't a patient person. It wasn't long enough before she sighed out loud and started to look for something to do. Catching a glimpse at the mans folded clothing, she smirked at the idea of "getting to know" more about the stranger. Looking to see if Aerith was watching her way, she quickly snatched the mans clothing and started to go through his pockets.

With a glint in her eye and smile growing bigger, Yuffie brought her fist out and opened it to reveal a worn out wallet, a small white folded piece of paper and a silver chain necklace that held three unique looking rings. Holding up the chain, she examined closely as the rings gave a small twirl. Fascinated, Yuffie wondered if they were real silver... She placed them aside and picked at the white folded paper. Curiously, she started unfolding it but before she read its contents, it was snatched out of her grasp.

"Hey! I was going to read that, y'know!" Yuffie pouted as Aerith placed a hand on her hips.

"You know perfectly well that this is not yours Yuffie. Do you have no respect for someones privacy?" Aerith scowled.

Yuffie gazed up at Aerith blankly for a bit, then shrugged nonchalantly as she grabbed the piece of paper again. "Not really."

Sighing, Aerith shook her head in frustration. Yuffie took hold of the paper and opened it once more. She titled her head as she stared at a lonely kanji character.

"Key to dark." She translated out loud. Curiously, Aerith looked over Yuffie's shoulder and frowned.

"The key to dark? What does that mean?" She puzzled over the single character, then brought her gaze over to the recovering man. Aerith started wandering if it was the right decision in taking the man in, but soon after she banished those thoughts. Correct or not, she would never have left someone to die on their own. It would have made her feel heartless if she hadn't moved a finger to help him. She sighed again.

"Put this away for later use. We'll ask him what it means when he is in better shape." Aerith decided. She walked over to the sleeping man and changed his damp cloth.

Yuffie placed it aside and made a grab for the last item. She grinned once more, and ripped the wallet open. She found an ID of some sort, a few trading cards, tickets for some unknown train station and car rentals, and a discarded picture of a group of teens huddled together in a pose. She examined the picture for a while before carefully placing it down. Going back the front, Yuffie drew out the mans ID. She blew out a low whistle as she read it indicated that he was commander of some sort of "Balamb Garden", his year and age. Her eyes grew big as she stared straight at a stoic but nonetheless handsome face.

"Hey Aer, look at this!" Aerith glanced back at her and frowned as she saw Yuffie was still snooping around the mans belongings. Yuffie signaled her over and showed her the mans identification card.

"He's young" She stated.

"17 and Hot!" Yuffie exclaimed as she pumped her fist up.

Aerith smiled and gazed once more at the ID. "Apparently it identifies him as Squall Leonhart."

"Oh let me see! Let me see!" As she handed the card over to Yuffie, they both heard Squall toss and turn, groaning out an incoherent name. His facial features seemed to contort in pain. Aerith muttered under breath as she hurried over to his side. Both girls stayed up all night trying to break his increasing fever again.

By morning they were both exhausted beyond belief. To their relief, they finally managed to break the fever. By dusk, they were able to level his temperature and his body began to relax. _Hopefully, he should be coming around some time soon, _thought Aerith as she sat by his left side; Yuffie was sitting on the ground on his other side, resting her head on the bed.

Nodding off, Aerith heard heard some slight rustling and a bit of groaning. Opening her eyes, she adjusted her vision on Squall. Gasping lightly as she saw him move a bit more, she reached over and gently shook Yuffie awake. Groggily looking up, Yuffie noticed that Squall was showing signs of awaking. She jumped up excitedly and fidgeted around waiting to see the "hotty" finally awake from his long lasting slumber.

* * *

><p>Squall <strong>definitely<strong> knew something was different. First off, there was this impending headache that greeting him. Second, there was that sense of atmosphere again that he was not used to, warm but unfamiliar. He still couldn't place what it was...

His eyes slowly opened and his vision was full of bright technicolor. Squall grunted at the sting it brought for his actions but kept on trying to open his eyes. Another pair of blurry figures started to form before him.

"Look! Look! He's awake!" One of the dark shorter silhouettes exclaimed.

"Yes I see. But don't startle him now, remember he's still a bit sick." the other scolded.

Squall scrutinized his brow as he tried to see better. " Selphie?" Hope started fluttering again. "...Rinoa?" His heart thumped hard against his rib cage. Maybe... Just maybe... it was all a drea-

"Oh dear... He must be hallucinating." a taller figure said. The figure resembled a bit more to Rinoa...

"Hey I'm not Selphie!" The shorter of the two exclaimed. She's a darker touch of Selphie herself... "I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!"

Squall was startled back into reality. His eyes finally adjusted and he stared up at two unfamiliar figures. What seemed to be his left side, there stood a pixie like girl with short raven hair grinning down at him. To his other side stood a taller girl with soft caramel hair that was pulled back with a pink handkerchief. She smiled down softly at him as she readjusted his wet cloth.

Squall frowned and felt deep disappointment when he knew this was **his** reality**.**

* * *

><p>He felt his whole body burn from the inside out. Pain erupted through the tips of his toes to the crown of his head. Groaning out loud, he tried to open his eyes. Everything was dark and eery before him, vision fuzzy and useless.<p>

He realized after a cold shiver ran down his spine, he was soaking wet. Large drops of water were smacking his entire body indicating that he was somewhere outside in the rain. To his displeasure, his whole body seemed to be paralyzed on the ground. He felt weak and pathetic. He hoped to Hyne that his Mako induced body would work its magic soon...

He fully concentrated on trying to subside the pain. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the small barely audible thuds coming closer to his side. It didn't help that the draft of the rain helped ease the sound. He was startled out of his remedy, cursing himself for letting his guard down, as a hand settled on his wrist. Cloud desperately wanted to shove the hand aside but his energy was literally wiped out. The only energy he had left was to be able to open his eyes, and even then it took the most out of him.

Weakly, he cracked his eyes open a bit and tried to distinguish the figure hovering over him. He saw a tall blur of brown and navy settle his vision. Disgruntled, Cloud knew he wouldn't be able to do anything with his state of health. He clearly knew he was throwing the dice by leaving his life in the hands of a stranger. As much as he loathed that thought, he had no choice but to surrender. As his eyes closed and he let the darkness take over, only two thoughts were in mind.

_I really hate my life..._

…_...Bastard better not rape me..._


End file.
